415 T-3.1 TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT

415.1 TDM refers to a series of transportation strategies that are designed to maximize the people-moving capability of the transportation system by increasing the number of persons in a vehicle, increasing transit ridership, or influencing the time of (or need to) travel. To accomplish such changes, TDM programs rely on incentives or disincentives to make shifts in travel behavior more attractive. The TDM Strategic Plan includes strategies to increase the non-Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) rate and to streamline TDM in the project review process. It provides, supports, and promotes programs and strategies aimed at reducing the number of car trips and miles driven (for work and non-work purposes) to increase the efficiency of the transportation system.

415.2 The primary purpose of TDM is to reduce the number of motor vehicles using the road system while providing a variety of mobility options to those who wish to travel. Typical TDM programs include:

1. Carpooling and vanpooling, employee shuttles, and improvements that encourage bicycling and walking;
2. Financial incentives, such as preferential parking for ride sharers, parking cash-outs, and transit subsidies;
3. Congestion avoidance strategies, such as compressed work weeks, flexible work schedules, and telecommuting in circumstances where workplace productivity is not impaired; and
4. Education and outreach regarding which transportation options are available, how to use transit, safety tips for bicycling, and how to join a carpool or vanpool.

415.3 TDM strategies are particularly useful during peak period travel times, when demand is the greatest. The Washington, DC metropolitan region is a leader in developing and implementing such strategies. Some of the regional TDM strategies already in place include telework centers, vanpool programs, guaranteed ride home programs, and transit incentive programs.

415.4 In 2013, the federal government employed approximately 437,000 people in the National Capital Region. As the region's largest employer, the federal government has a strong interest in improving the quality of transportation services and infrastructure. It is in a unique position to provide leadership in TDM programs that can accommodate the travel needs of its workforce while setting the standard for the region as a whole. Its mandatory regional transit subsidy program is an effective form of TDM: in 2012, 42 percent of peak period Metrorail riders were

federal employees.

415.5 The District supports all these initiatives and also has many of its own TDM measures. For instance, it is helping to educate the public about various shared mobility options in the District, including point-to-point and traditional carsharing services. The District’s ultimate goal is to reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). To incentivize the use of shared cars and encourage the private sector to expand carsharing programs, the District has designated strategic curbside parking spaces for these vehicles, accompanied by educational brochures to help explain this service to the public.

415.6 Roadway pricing is another strategy to manage transportation demand. Research indicates that 75 to 80 percent or more of the costs of driving are external costs, such as noise and air pollution. Over the long term, recovering these costs will serve to level the playing field for all modes of travel. The region’s motorists and residents currently pay the full cost of transportation through a variety of indirect means, including their time and health. Making these costs more apparent to motorists will ultimately help shift travel both in the District and throughout the region to modes that are most efficient in terms of lowest overall costs. The District is investigating how to implement roadway pricing, particularly strategies targeting those drivers who cut through the District with neither a starting nor an ending point within District boundaries.

415.7 New technologies are making roadway pricing more feasible and economical. The range of roadway pricing approaches includes a congestion pricing cordon (used most notably in London and Singapore), which involves motorists being charged via electronically read debit cards for entering the central portion of the District. Other options include measuring miles traveled on particular roads (using electronic means) and assessing per-mile charges based on such variables as wear-and-tear on the roadway system, air and noise pollution, and imposition of congestion, among others. Pricing strategies can also vary depending on the time of day, the level of congestion, and other parameters. In evaluating new technologies and approaches to encourage use of TDM and reduce vehicle miles travelled, it is important to use disaggregated data that identifies the mode use, ability, and access for communities of color and residents of all abilities and income levels. This can be used to consider appropriate, equitable TDM measures, minimize barriers to entry (such as price or access to technology) and encourage adoption of TDM.

415.8 moveDC has a tiered strategy for future implementation of managed lanes and a congestion pricing cordon for downtown. It identifies key facilities where managed lanes are appropriate entering the District, including:

1. I-66 on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge;

2. I-295 between the District line and the 11th Street Bridge;

3. I-395 on the 14th Street Bridge;
4. I-395/I-695 between the 11th and 14th Street Bridges;
5. Canal Road between the Chain Bridge and the Whitehurst Freeway; and
6. New York Avenue between I-395 and the District line.

415.9 The District Mobility Project leverages transportation data for multiple modes (walking, bicycling, taking transit, and driving) to inform DDOT's short- and long-term investment strategies. It builds on national advances in transportation system performance management to track District-wide trends in congestion and travel-time reliability, among other key system performance metrics. By highlighting areas with high congestion, low reliability, and poor accessibility, the District Mobility Project shows where DDOT will target near-term investments to improve multimodal mobility.

415.10 Policy T-3.1.1: TDM Programs

Provide, support, and promote programs and strategies aimed at reducing the number of car trips and miles driven (for work and non-work purposes), to increase the efficiency of the transportation system.

415.11 Policy T-3.1.2: Regional TDM Efforts

Continue to pursue TDM strategies at the regional level and work with regional and federal partners to promote a coordinated, integrated transportation system. These strategies include setting commuter benefits program participation rates for employers, developing corridor-level TDM plans to educate the public on DDOT and regional lanes initiatives (i.e., bus only, high-occupancy toll, high-occupancy vehicle, and road diets), and adopting emerging technologies to promote carpooling.

415.12 Policy T-3.1.3: Carsharing

Encourage the expansion of carsharing services as an alternative to private vehicle ownership by removing barriers to access private carsharing systems.

415.13 Policy T-3.1.4: Special Event TDM

Encourage event organizers to provide transportation amenities for large events. These measures can include the TDM initiatives developed through the hospitality and tourism program to promote the use of transit options to hotels, lodging providers, District-wide events, and museums through advocacy and outreach in hopes of influencing event attendees.

415.14 Action T-3.1.A: TDM Strategies

Develop strategies and requirements that reduce rush hour traffic by promoting flextime, carpooling, and transit use where consistent with maintaining workplace productivity, to reduce vehicular trips particularly during peak travel periods. Identify TDM measures and plans as vital conditions for large development approval. Transportation Management Plans should identify quantifiable reductions in motor vehicle trips and commit to measures to achieve those reductions. Encourage the federal and District governments to explore the creation of a staggered workday, where appropriate, to reduce congestion, and implement TDM initiatives through a pilot program that focuses on the District government and public schools. Assist employers in the District with implementation of TDM programs at their worksites, to reduce drive-alone commute trips. Through outreach and education, inform developers and District residents of available transportation alternatives and the benefits these opportunities provide.

415.15 Action T-3.1.B: Roadway Pricing and Management

The recommendations in moveDC should be explored and implemented, where feasible, in three phases:

1. Phase 1: Continuously monitor direct and external roadway costs to gain a more accurate estimate of the true cost of driving for motorists;
2. Phase 2: Develop a system to identify those who drive entirely through the District without stopping (i.e., those who are not living in, working in, or visiting Washington, DC), as well as a mechanism to charge these motorists for the external costs that they are imposing on the District's transportation system; and
3. Phase 3: Continuously monitor state-of-the-art roadway pricing techniques and technologies, and work with neighboring jurisdictions to implement roadway pricing programs that better transfer the full costs of driving to motorists. This could include higher costs for heavier and higher-emission vehicles.

415.16 Action T-3.1.C: Private Shuttle Services

Develop a database of private shuttle services and coordinate with shuttle operators to help reduce the number of single-occupant trips. Encourage shuttle operators to provide real-time transit data, and create a layer in goDCgo's interactive map to show all shuttles. Motivate companies to implement a shuttle service.

415.17 Action T-3.1.D: Transit Ridership Programs

Support employers in implementing the DC Commuter Benefits Law. Continue to support employer-sponsored transit ridership programs, such as those under the federal Transit Benefits Program, which stipulates that, pursuant to federal legislation, public and private employers may subsidize employee travel by mass transit each month. Continue to support employer-sponsored bicycle commuter benefit programs for public and private employers.

415.18

Action T-4.1.E: Implement the TDM Strategic Plan

Provide, support, and promote programs and strategies aimed at reducing the number of car trips and miles driven (for work and non-work purposes), to increase the efficiency of the transportation system. Smart-city technologies promise to enhance and transform TDM as more data becomes available. TDM practitioners such as goDCgo should determine platforms for delivering practical travel and routing information to improve mobility.

415.19

Action T-4.1.F: Analytic Tools to Measure Performance

Plan and implement the development of advanced analytic tools to measure the performance of the transportation network in support of the District Mobility Project.

SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (D.C. Law 5-187; 32 DCR 873 (February 15, 1985)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-129; 37 DCR 55 (January 5, 1990)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989 NCPC-Recommended Amendments, and Closing of Public Alleys in Square 669, S.O. 88-452, Act of 1990, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-132; 37 DCR 2213 (April 6, 1990)); as amended by District Government Land Use Temporary Amendment Act of 1994, effective October 1, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-190; 41 DCR 5360 (August 12, 1994)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1994, effective October 6, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-193; 41 DCR 5536 (August 19, 1994)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Amendment Act of 1994, effective March 21, 1995 (D.C. Law 10-235; 42 DCR 30 (January 6, 1995)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-110; 43 DCR 530 (February 9, 1996)); as amended by Second Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 9, 1997 (D.C. Law 11-255; 44 DCR 1271 (March 7, 1997)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 1998, effective April 27, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-275; 46 DCR 1441 (February 19, 1999)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1999, effective April 12, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-91; 47 DCR 520 (January 28, 2000)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300; 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 2008, effective March 25, 2009 (D.C. Law 17-353; 56 DCR 1117 (February 6, 2009)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361; 58 DCR 908 (February 4, 2011)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021, effective August 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-20; 68 DCR 006918 (July 16, 2021)).